Dani :  Shit.

    The issuant of the banal curse gives lazy kick to the big double doors to the theatre that will serve as the classroom for Introduction to Theatre for the first semester of the first year. A strategically placed note is scotch-taped on the right door, with the sticky plastic practically framing the message displayed in aggressive cursive:
  

 Dear Late-comer,
                   unfortunately there is absolutely nothing you can do to get into my precious class today. Where, you should have been, as of this very moment, learning invaluable teachings about the world of Theatre and all its secrets from no one else but my brilliant self. You have just missed so much that I am afraid you might not be able to catch up.
                   So I tell you as early as now, drop my class and take it next year. Yes, you will be delayed for a year, but at least there is more of a chance for you to have a career in theatre because by then I will have forgotten your name and unknowingly give you a chance in my class. But if you dare continue to come to my class, it is at the imminent peril of failure. Have a nice day.
               
                                                                                                     Love,
                                                                                                           M.C.


Dani :  (murmuring to self) Monsieur Cocus...now what is he doing poking around freshman courses? (Examines         the letter once again...a smile slowly creeping...shrugs shoulder) "..Imminent peril of failure" huh? I like the way     that sounds, tomorrow then. (Walks away chuckling and starts to whistle).


       Fast, heavy footsteps, and heaving breaths echo from the end of the hallway on the right, where the lively  sunlight is streaming in, making it almost impossible to see clearly the face of the silhouette running toward the theatre doors Dani is trying to leave. It seems to be wearing a hat...and strangely carries with it the smell of coffee and a wet dog.....

Silhouette :  E-excuse me!!!

Dani :  (pointing to self) talkin' to me? (finally realizing the silhouette is a very wet, very haggard, hatted girl...my, my,         someone had a bad morning...)

Very Wet, Very Haggard, Hatted Girl :  Yes! (finally, someone stops to talk to her...a lot of people seem to run          away when she calls to them) umm do you know where..-( gets a crumpled piece of paper Dani recognized         as a student registration form) - Ba...Basil A. Daniels Hall is?

Dani : oh Bad Hall-

Very Wet, Very Haggard, Hatted Girl :  No, BAASIIIL AAA. DAANIIEELS HALL (enunciating each vowel in         a louder voice to make it clearer).

Dani :  (smiles) yeah. BAD HALL. B-Basil, A, D-Daniels Hall. You're in it. You lookin' for the Bad Theater?

Very Wet, Very Haggard, Hatted Freshman :  (happily exclaims) Yeah the theater!

Dani :  (with a fake smile on) Well, guess what? It's your lucky day! It’s right beside you! (looking pointedly at the     double doors she had turned her back on as they talked) Look it even has a nice looove letter from the                 greatest professor in the world. (turns back around to face the exit and escape the scene of a girly emotional         breakdown that sure to happen...it's  waay to early in the morning to deal with  feminine tears).

Remi :  (addressing the note) Yes there is! (yanks and pushes on the big upholstered doors of Bad Theatre).

        Dani stops walking, turns around to face her and is surprised that instead of the expected tears on her face, determination was on it.

Dani :  You'll just tire yourself. It won't budge. Give it up, go home, take a bath, sleep, come back                               tomorrow....(stops talking upon realizing that the girl is too preoccupied with getting in, to absorb anything         else)

Determined Girl :  (biting her lip as she scans the hallway for other entry points as she mumbles more to herself as        she thinks..) I'm sure there are other doors....or...or even holes...yeah holes...I'm pretty small..I think I can-

Dani :  Hahahaha! You're serious aren't you? Determined little mouse you are! If you're that desperate, I think         there's a sort of emergency fire exit for the fly tower at the back of the building but-

Determined Little Mouse :  Thanks! (runs off)

Dani :  (continues talking to the back of the girl) --enters right above the stage....tsk. (cranes neck to look at the        "Backlister" in the making turning a sharp left at the end of the hall to get to that back door that would seal her     fate in Theatre forever)..That'll be a hard grand entrance to top......

    Dani Oido finally exits the building, resumes whistling, while all the while trying to decide if the girl is pretty in a weird way, or weird in a pretty way...Nonetheless, she is going to be a pretty interesting addition to their Backlister's Club whether she likes it or not.

         
                                 ~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~

Monsieur Cocus had just finished the longest fifteen minute introduction, the whole population of the freshmen of Bridgeworth Academy of Performing Arts, has ever heard in their whole lives. There was a resounding sigh or relief upon the effeminate, moustachioed man’s aloof enunciation of "enough about me" that was almost physically felt, even till the back row of the theatre.  Although the B.A.D. Theatre has the capacity to seat 1000 people, only 28 seats were taken, only by the most talented of young adults in the country, who are to be the future stars of the theatre world. At least, that is what they always say, every year.

Bridgeworth has that air of prestige, and exclusivity that frowns upon certain kinds of people, putting them in the limbo of the “Background Stereotypes” as the students would call it, those that make up the 1% that don’t make it big in theatre.  Although, some of these people, even anticipate and embrace the stereotype that somehow, gives them the comfort zone of low expectations. One student who has anticipated such a fate onstage is Darla, sitting at the back row of the theatre with Chibu, another Backlister who appears to be asleep, and is snoring in a rather escalating sort of way.

She nudges him to stop his climbing snore volume from rising into humiliating heights. Big mistake. Her right elbow, had just caused a major nasal sound explosion that bounced off the perfect acoustic design of the theatre, making everything and everyone in it stop, and look at the source of the bombastic ngork. 56 beady eyes turn, to look back on them both with a “figures” expression -making Darla curse the day she ever befriended Chibu-she melts in her seat and imagines  herself exploding in anger, and doing a “Carrie” on them all the first day of school. That would create an impression even Dani Oido would find hard to upstage.

Her rather morbid daydreams are interrupted by a vibration by her left butt cheek, resulting in a surprised squeak, making the again, 28 pairs of  “figures” eyes look back at them. Putting on a goofy face, and mouthing sorry to their cranky audience, she awkwardly reaches for her cell phone at her back pocket, trying not to make anymore noise (which is hard as she barely fits her seat).

An sms message from Dani reads: “heads up”.   
                                          

Chibu :  (peeking at Darla's cell phone with a squint, than looks straight up above his head in curiosity) I don’t see-

Darla :  (barely suppresses a surprised whelp as she points to the fly tower above the stage where all the lights and rigging is). Don't tell me that's Dani? I can’t see clearly from here...what do you think?

Chibu :  ( squinting more, making his eyes look like slits...he also has bad eyesight but not as bad as Darla's) No way in hell. Number one, that person is wearing a hat...and Dani will never wear a hat,  a cap, yes... but definitely not a hat. Number two, it's too much of an effort to get up there from outside. Number three that looks like a girl...I think...

Darla :  Thanks for the diagnosis doc...( she mumbles sarcastically as she scans the other occupant of the theatre to see if they noticed their unidentified visitor up at the stage) hope she doesn’t trip on those hemp lines or some other junk up on that rig and fall...or worse get electrocuted by all those cables...I don’t think barbecued girl would smell good. ..

Chibu :  You have got to stop reading those suspense novels of yours, you're getting more morbid than usual. And the fly tower's kept neat for safety duh.  And the power's not on, on the stage right now cuz we're not using the stage lights, dumbass.

Darla :   (gives him the evil eye) Oh yeah, I'm talkin to a seasoned stagehand right here.. (Chibu gives her the evil eye) What do you think she's doin'?

Chibu  :  (making slits out of his eyes again, moves forward to the edge of his seat, folding his long legs to the side so his bony knees won’t poke through the front seats as he tries to get an even closer look at the girl above) I have noo idea annd I don’t think she has too...Do you think Dani has anything to do with this?

Monsieur Cocus: You two blabbering numbskulls at the back. Shut up or get out.

Darla :  But sir-

Monsieur Cocus: Do not call me sir, how common of you. tsk. Monsieur Cocus ( with a graceful hand twirl).

Darla and Chibu :  But Mon-

Monsieur Cocus:  Stop it with your buts. You sound like your mouths are passing gas. ( gives a smile and an eye-roll combo as the rest of his audience laughs at his witticism, although it really is mostly because the two comedians are at it again as expected) What is more important than what I am saying right now? huh?

Darla :  (stubborn as usual) There is a-

Monsieur Cocus :  Nothing! Nothing is more important. (straightens his collar and rakes his pomade slicked hair back with both palms) Where was I? Oh. The Rules. (silence for emphasis) As you may have noticed, no one else has entered the theatre since class started. That is because I hate latecomers. Lateness means laziness, carelessness, pointing to a lack of determination, to a lack of PASSION. (another graceful hand twirl...inhales for gas as if charging for an "elocutional explosion")And in theatre PASSION is something you cannot do without. Many may have the talent, but without passion talent is SHIT- 'scuse my French. Passion is our fuel, our esse. It is what separates a good performance, from a legendary one! (refocuses his seething leer at the fresh faced thespians at his attention). That. Is. Why. I. Hate. Latecomers.

Remi :  Excuse me?! Hello ( doing a tiny excited hop as the people below  finally notice her)


    Monsieur Cocus almost freezes as he feels disbelief creep up his spine, as if some irritating little bug has just scuttered up his shirt, taking a lot of effort for him to hold his scandalized anger in check, and maintaining his dignity. What gall! That, one would pull a stunt like this on the first day of him gracing the mere presence of freshmen, is just plain insulting. This little bug obviously, does not know him to disrespect him so...or does she? She may be doing this to get more attention and get a cool, notorious reputation on the first day, by being the first one make the infallible Monsieur Cocus to crack. "Ha! I will not deign stoop down that level. Go one little bug, you cannot humiliate me,  I’m better at this than you." He silently challenges the highflier as he turns around to challenge his puny opponent.

Monsieur Cocus: (in cold menacing yet aloof voice  years of theatre experience allows him to concoct) How dare you.

Little Bug: How? (starts talking fast due to nerves for being so high up on the blackened bridge thingy that goes across the upper part of the stage ) Oh I saw that the door was closed up front and there was this guy in all black and holey denim pants who told me that I can enter through the back door behind the building but the only door that was open was the one where I had to climb some stairs to get to. Oh and I almost fell! But I’m okay! So I'm here ye! But I can't seem to get down and I’m starting to get scared and my feet are getting jelly 'cuz  this bridge thingy is kinda shaking but there's no wind here so it's probably 'cuz I'm starting to shake myself and-

Monsieur Cocus :  ( finding no pauses in the girls monologue to interject and make her stop..so in a booming voice..) DO YOU MIND.

Little Bug : (quickly closes her mouth only to reopen it again with a smiling reply) No, not at all. (the freshmen laughs at the ridiculous scene unfolding in front of them as the supposedly terror teacher is being stung along by this patronizing newbie)

Monsieur Cocus: Amusing. (takes another deep breath to calm down and faces his audience again with a stiff upper lip). Year in and year out I have sent away attention seeking students like this, all of whom think it's "cool" (using two fingers on both hand to demonstrate the connotation sign) to create a ruckus in some way or another at the cost of my humiliation (gives a chuckle that can make even Dracula shiver). But to me, they are just little bugs ( picks off imaginary lint from his cuff as he pauses for emphasis). Little bugs I can CRush without hesitation...or guilt. Whereas, other professors may give a warning, even send them to the dean, to get reprimanded...only to come back and be pains in the arse the whole semester, I on the other hand, am a little more straight forward (half a pause for half an emphasis this time).  I, do not offer forgiveness, not, even, a tiny little speck of the benefit of the doubt. No (smiles in pure amusement). I merely, simply, and ultimately, just ask them to leave and never come back. Never giving them a chance to redeem themselves in my eyes, never the chance to learn, and setting them back..oh, probably a whole semester, because of course I teach only prerequisite classes, in short, no other fundamental classes can they have, unless they have gone through mine first (looks at his pristine, manicured nails). Civilized. Swift. Devastating.

Darla :  (whispers to Chibu while feigning an almost impressed expression) you 'gotta give it to this old dandy, he sure knows how to deliver a monologue...think he's gonna cry now?

        The pent up laughter that has been building up in Chibu explodes uncontrollably at Darla's side comment. He expertly camouflages it as coughing, before the clueless professor harangues them again. His mirth had actually been building up since the middle of MC's speech, when the attention of everyone else, focused towards the girl at his background, haphazardly going down the fly tower, using the ladder by the wings of the stage. And the amusement just builds up further, as she makes her way down from the stage ,and plops her self on one of the red chairs in the front row, even making herself comfortable and pulling out her notebook to take notes on the monologue of the oblivious professor that was supposed to scare her and the rest of the class.

Monsieur Cocus: (still in his own world) -so then my dear little bug I ask you to please step out- (faces the stage again, with a flourish) -and never...(realizing the little bug has crawled off from her perch, he looks around for his missing target, barely keeping his anger in check)  Where is that-( the whole class finally bursts out laughing when a Hello-Kitty-pen-holding hand raises in all innocence.....)

Little Bug :  Are you looking for me mister? (smiling pleasantly at the funny talkative man standing in front of every one wearing a really bright red shirt, matching red shoes, and shiny hair like Dracula in the old movies)

Monsieur Cocus :  (feeling a lava of fury inside him almost at bursting point as he sees the smart alec look at him with feigned innocence.....he stops himself from replying right away and risk killing a teenager on the first day of school...takes three deep breaths and channels his inner peace as he does in his yoga classes. After five minutes he finally replies.) I see you have got yourself comfortable there my little bug. But unfortunately for you, I will have to ask you to get out, please. (seeing no move to do so he asks nicely, feeling his wick get shorter but willing himself to keep his temper in and show this prankster that she has no effect on him...he points to the door) Do you mind?

Little Bug: Yes. (MC lets out a sigh or relief and exasperation but was almost chocked when...) Yes I do mind. I wish to stay, I have been wanting to go here for so long, why would I leave, when you yourself said that in this class, we will learn about invaluable things in the world of theatre. It'll be illogical for me to leave a class and miss all those, right? Sorry if you dislike me, or my way of entry, but seeing that letter on the door just made me want to get in here whatever way possible. I’m staying.

       Silence...............

    Someone starts to clap, expecting others to follow suit, but the attempt was hindered by MC's burning gaze, wilting the claps to awkward coughs and head scratching while the whole  freshman class waited with bated breath at the incoming breakdown of the Infallible M.C. All of them practically forgets to breathe as Monsieur Cocus steps directly in front of the Little Bug, looming over her (precious few times he could do that in his life, because fortunately for him, she’s seated), looking at her closely as if trying to read into the girl's thoughts. He cocks his head to the side as he fixes his penetrating eyes on her big questioning ones. That facade of innocence she has had from the start is still there.  In fairness to her, she's rather consistent with characterization, she hasn't shown a crack to her little girl act. That's a rather good skill especially for an amateur like her. Looking for cracks in acting is what he is definitely good at, and now he's having a hard time seeing a crack on this one. After studying her closely for a few more minutes, he then, silently tells her with his eyes " I will make your life hell from now on little girl. I'll make your theatre experience so agonizing that you will end up hating theatre by the end of this semester. Brace yourself." Her smile finally falters and fear flashes in her green eyes, making Monsieur Cocus-or MC to many and Mon-Coc to some-nod in satisfaction, and walk back to the centre isle where a desk is placed for him.He leasns on his desk nonchalantly and finally speaks in a calm voice.


MC :  Alright. If you wish. (mumblings of disbelief ripple through  the occupants of the theatre) But! (gives the buzzing freshmen bees another of his scathing glares to shut them up) As I have said, I will give no forgiveness, no chance of redemption no benefit of the doubt. If you wish to stay, then do so. But remember, my dear-- (puts his face close to her that only an inch of space is left no matter how far back in her seat Remi goes...and in a stage whisper hear eerily to the last row of the theatre..) -- you have chosen a fate worse than death.


       Remi inexplicably hears thunder and crying wolves at the last words of Professor M.C. She rubs away her goose bumps as the professor straightens, and rearranges his features back into a cool, aloof expression before he resumes his introduction to Introduction of Theatre. Somehow, she has got the feeling this wont be the last time she hears thunder and crying wolves in her head when she talks to him.  She has got to get used to the creepy sound effects her brain makes every time she sees him, because she'll be seeing him three times a week for the next 6 months.

       Meanwhile, at the back most row of the BAD Theatre, two curious sets of eyes are drawn to the shabby broccoli haired girl at the front row who has just made history.

Chibu :  I think we got a new one.

                    ~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~

                                        *END OF AC1 SC3*